The Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance
Adopted by the Congress of the Confederation in 1787, the Northwest Ordinance set forth a model for the expansion of the American republic. Providing a governing structure for the territory that would later become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, it prohibited slavery, protected religious liberty, and encouraged education. Following the adoption of the Constitution, the new Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance again in 1789.
July 13, 1787
An Ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio
Section 1. Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, That the said territory, for the purpose of temporary government, be one ...